2008/04/22 by Stefano Meschiari, Gregory Laughlin · 32 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Classical mechanics #Computer science #Context (archaeology) #Geology #Geometry #Gravitation #Gravitational collapse #Gravitational instability #Groove (engineering) #Instability #Mechanics #Mode (computer interface) #Physics #Planet #Spiral (railway) #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #Surface (topology) #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/589443
published in The Astrophysical Journal 679(2), L135-L138 (IOP Publishing) · 10 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters. Additional color plots and movies are available at http://www.ucolick.org/~smeschia/disks.php
arxiv created 2008/04/22 · openalex publication_date 2008/05/06 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
In this Letter, we briefly describe the evolution of a variety of self-gravitating protoplanetary disk models that contain annular grooves (e.g., gaps) in their surface density. These grooves are inspired by the density gaps that are presumed to open in response to the formation of a giant planet. Our work provides an extension of the previously studied groove modes that are known in the context of stellar disks. The emergence of spiral gravitational instabilities is predicted via a generalized eigenvalue code that performs a linear analysis and confirmed with hydrodynamical simulations. We find that the presence of a groove drives a fast-growing two-armed mode in moderately massive disks and extends the importance of self-gravitating instabilities down to lower disk masses than for which they would otherwise occur. We discuss the potential importance of this instability in the context of planet formation, e.g., the modification of the torques driving type II migration.